They're saying they end ASQ when they start accepting vaccinations? But will we still have the choice?

[Chang2]

I'm saying this from the point-of-view of somebody who doesn't want the vaccine, but still wants to go to Thailand.

 

Will we be able to choose ASQ in that event?  Or will the country be closed thereafter to the un-vaccinated?

[Maha Sarakham]

No one knows for sure.  But you can draw your own conclusions based off of how cautious the Thai government is choosing to be.

[RichardColeman]

22 minutes ago, Chang2 said:

I'm saying this from the point-of-view of somebody who doesn't want the vaccine, but still wants to go to Thailand.

 

Will we be able to choose ASQ in that event?  Or will the country be closed thereafter to the un-vaccinated?

I think your problem is not just Thailand.

 

UK cruise ships were saying they would only accept vaccinated people last week.

 

This could well start to become airline policy, you may find yourself in your country of origin and banned from all international travel as well as having the ASQ option disappear from Thailand altogether

[Chang2]

5 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

banned from all international travel

Hadn't thought of that.  You're right, it's moot what Thailand does or doesn't do if the airlines go all in on this policy.  Ouch.

[ubonjoe]

I have seen nothing about Thailand even considering vaccinations being mandatory for entry.

They have only mentioned that the quarantine will be shortened for those that have been vaccinated.

[mfd101]

11 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I think your problem is not just Thailand.

 

UK cruise ships were saying they would only accept vaccinated people last week.

 

This could well start to become airline policy, you may find yourself in your country of origin and banned from all international travel as well as having the ASQ option disappear from Thailand altogether

I think this is the most likely outcome for most or all countries.

 

Noone will force you to have a vaccination or inoculation, but here is the ever-lengthening list of things you won't be able to do if you don't ...

 

Which seems to me perfectly reasonable. In democracies there are 2 main causes for governments to temporarily diminish individual citizens' rights: wartime and natural disaster including pandemic.

Edited March 23, 2021 by mfd101

[BritTim]

I believe at some point it will be handled like yellow fever. If coming from an infected area, you will be expected to show you have been vaccinated. If you want an option (at some stage in the future) of being able to choose between quarantine and vaccination, I think you will be disappointed.

 

For what it is worth, I believe anyone planning to travel (even from a country with no Covid-19 infections) without being vaccinated first has no concept of relative risk. I certainly do not consider going to many parts of the world without suitable protection against things like tetanus, hepatitis and, sometimes, cholera, yellow fever and malaria. As soon as a safe Covid-19 vaccine is available to me (and there are at least six already proven safe for adults possibly excepting pregnant women) I will take it.

[elgenon]

From what I gather it is tighter even still. You need to be vaxed within 3 months. That lets me out even though I've been shot twice.

 

Hopefully if the vax passport is ever a thing it may be different. I hope at least. Because apparently even if you have been shot the paper you get is not good enough.

 

 

[BritTim]

On 3/24/2021 at 9:05 AM, elgenon said:

From what I gather it is tighter even still. You need to be vaxed within 3 months.

The duration of the protection from the various vaccines is currently unknown. There is evidence that T cells (one part of the immune response) tend to lose their potency to rapidly respond to Covid-19 within around three months of recovery from an infection. However, the T cells are not the only protection, and it is likely that (especially the best two-dose vaccines) anyway produce a longer lasting immune response.

 

There is much we still have to learn about SARS-CoV-2, not least whether existing vaccines can deal with all the common variants, and whether recovery can be expected from apparent common side effects like "long Covid" (a kind of chronic fatigue syndrome) and cognitive damage after infection.

Edited March 25, 2021 by BritTim

[elgenon]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

The duration of the protection from the various vaccines is currently unknown. There is evidence that T cells (one part of the immune response) tend to lose their potency to rapidly respond to Covid-19 within around three months of recovery from an infection. However, the T cells are not the only protection, and it is likely that (especially the best two-dose vaccines) anyway produce a longer lasting immune response.

 

There is much we still have to learn about SARS-CoV-2, not least whether existing vaccines can deal with all the common variants, and whether recovery can be expected from apparent common side effects like "long Covid" (a kind of chronic fatigue syndrome) and cognitive damage after infection.

Do you think one will be able to get a "vaccine passport" if their shots are more than 3 months old?

[audaciousnomad]

https://www.thaienquirer.com/25805/government-approves-plan-to-reopen-phuket-from-july/

[BritTim]

9 hours ago, elgenon said:

Do you think one will be able to get a "vaccine passport" if their shots are more than 3 months old?

Really, this is all guesswork. Most likely, you will be able to get certification in some form of when you were last vaccinated, and using which vaccine. The acceptability of any individual's vaccination status will be up to the individual countries. Most countries will probably end up accepting vaccination using the leading vaccines no more than one year ago. I think the situation will be clearer six months from now.

[ThaiVisaCentre]

Currently there is a proposal for 7 day ASQ packages for only those who have been vaccinated (but this is not approved yet).

Also there have been conversations about allowing ASQ-free travel into area quarantine zones which everyone has already been vaccinated in. But for that to work you need the following to happen

1. It needs to be approved
2. Everyone needs to be vaccinated in that area for this to come into effect

So it's very hard to expect when exactly this will start to be allowed.

As for Thailand only accepting vaccinated travelers we have not heard of this being approved either, and it would go against the whole concept of the ASQ/ALQ package structure which supports both traveler types.

[dbrenn]

In Britain they're talking seriously about vaccination as a requirement for going into a pub.

 

I'm with others here who predict that vaccination will be a requirement for pretty much anything before long.

[Caldera]

At some point, keeping up the CoE and ASQ procedures simply won't make sense anymore. You will either be able to enter based on being vaccinated, or you won't be allowed to enter at all. Just my prediction, of course.

 

[DrJack54]

18 minutes ago, Caldera said:

At some point, keeping up the CoE and ASQ procedures simply won't make sense anymore. You will either be able to enter based on being vaccinated, or you won't be allowed to enter at all. Just my prediction, of course.

 

Nup won't happen.